Method and apparatus for controlling a display in a portable terminal

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal includes sensing that the flexible display is bent, dividing the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and outputting first information through the main screen and outputting second information through the sub screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is related to and claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119(a) to a Korean Patent Application filed in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office on Dec. 5, 2011 and assigned Serial No.10-2011-0128974, the contents of which are herein incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates computing devices, and moreparticularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling a display in aportable terminal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Owing to the development of the electronic communication industry,portable terminals are becoming a necessity to modern society whilebecoming a significant means of delivery of rapidly changinginformation.

Recently, with the development and popularization of Graphical UserInterface (GUI) systems, portable terminals have grown to a point thatthey may incorporate a flexible display. The flexible display can bebent, so it is playing a leading role in a conventionally restrictivedisplay field. For example, the flexible display is being widely used ina field of an electronic book replacing a publication such as a magazineand a field of a new portable Information Telecommunication (IT) productsuch as a subminiature Personal Computer (PC) whose display can befolded or rolled for carriage, a smart card making real-time informationconfirmation possible, and the like.

However, as the portable terminal gets smaller to enhance mobility andcarriage, while its performance increases, there is a limitation indisplaying these contents to a screen. For instance, though a menu isnot often used, when the menu is displayed on a screen, actually, theportable terminal displays contents desired by a user in a relativelysmall scale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is aprimary object to provide at least the advantages below. Accordingly,one aspect of the present invention is to provide a control method andapparatus for, when a flexible display is bent, changing the contents ofa screen in a portable terminal.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a control methodand apparatus for, when a flexible display is bent, dividing theflexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and outputtinginformation through the main screen and the sub screen in a portableterminal.

A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a control methodand apparatus for, when a flexible display is bent, dividing theflexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, controlling themain screen according to control information designated to the subscreen, and outputting information through the main screen in a portableterminal.

The above aspects are achieved by providing a method and apparatus forcontrolling a display in a portable terminal.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method forcontrolling a flexible display in a portable terminal includes sensingthat the flexible display is bent, dividing the flexible display into amain screen and a sub screen, and outputting first information throughthe main screen and outputting second information through the subscreen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus forcontrolling a display in a portable terminal includes a flexibledisplay, a storage unit, and a controller. The flexible display isconfigured to output information. The storage unit is configured tostore data about an operation of the portable terminal. The controlleris configured to sense that the flexible display is bent, divides theflexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and output firstinformation through the main screen and outputs second informationthrough the sub screen.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, itmay be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and“comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion withoutlimitation; the term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases“associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivativesthereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with,contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, becommunicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximateto, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and theterm “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controlsat least one operation, such a device may be implemented in hardware,firmware or software, or some combination of at least two of the same.It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particularcontroller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally orremotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are providedthroughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the artshould understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitionsapply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words andphrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example portable terminal according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example procedure of controlling a flexibledisplay in a portable terminal according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrates an example main screen and sub screen of aflexible display according to one embodiment of the present invention;and

FIGS. 4 to 8 illustrate example user interface screens of a flexibletouch screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 through 8, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged display devices. Preferredembodiments of the present invention will be described herein below withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description,well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail sincethey would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. And, termsdescribed below, which are defined considering functions in the presentinvention, can be different depending on user and operator's intentionor practice. Therefore, the terms should be defined on the basis of thedisclosure throughout this specification.

A control method and apparatus for, when a flexible display is bent,changing the contents of a screen in a portable terminal according tothe present invention are described below. According to an exampleembodiment of the present invention, when the flexible display is bent,the portable terminal divides the flexible display into a main screenand a sub screen, and outputs information through the main screen andthe sub screen. Further, according to an example embodiment of thepresent invention, when the flexible display is bent, the portableterminal divides the flexible display into the main screen and the subscreen, controls the main screen according to control informationdesignated to the sub screen, and outputs information through the mainscreen.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example portable terminal according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable terminal includes a controller 11, aflexible touch screen unit 12, a voice input/output unit 13, a storageunit 14, and a communication unit 15.

The controller 11 sets an execution environment of the portableterminal, holds information thereof, and makes data input/outputexchange for all elements of the portable terminal. Further, thecontroller 11 can perform a corresponding communication service functionthrough the communication unit 15. Also, the controller 11 can include aCoder/DECoder (CODEC) for converting a video signal and a voice signalthrough the flexible touch screen unit 12 and the voice input/outputunit 13.

The flexible touch screen unit 12 represents a touch based flexibledisplay. The flexible touch screen unit 12 displays, as a video, asignal received from the controller 11 and outputs a signal generated byuser touch, to the controller 11.

The voice input/output unit 13 outputs, as sound, a signal received fromthe controller 11 and outputs a voice signal to the controller 11.

The storage unit 14 stores data associated with operation of theportable terminal. The controller 11 loads information from the storageunit 14 and performs an operation according to the present invention.

The communication unit 15 performs communication. Through thecommunication unit 15, the controller 11 performs a correspondingcommunication service.

Particularly, the controller 11 senses that the flexible touch screenunit 12 is bent. Also, the controller 11 can distinguish a bent regionof the flexible touch screen unit 12 from a non-bent region. Accordingto bending or non-bending of the flexible touch screen unit 12, thecontroller 11 changes the contents of a screen. A control method of thecontroller 11 according to the present invention is described below withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example procedure of controlling a flexibledisplay in a portable terminal according to an example embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in step 201, the controller 11 senses that aflexible display is bent. Then, the controller 11 proceeds to step 203and divides the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen.FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a main screen and sub screen of a flexibledisplay according to an example embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 3A, the controller 11 allots the sub screen as a bentregion 301 of the flexible display and allots the main screen as theremnant region 302 thereof. Therefore, when the bent region 301 of theflexible display is changed, the controller 11 also changes the subscreen allotted as the bent region 301. Referring to FIG. 3B,irrespective of bending of the flexible display, the controller 11allots the sub screen as a preset first region 303, and allots the mainscreen as a preset second region 304. Further, this does not intend tolimit the scope and spirit of the invention and accordingly, thecontroller 11 may decide the whole screen of the flexible display as themain screen and determine an overlaid screen, which is overlaid on themain screen, as the sub screen.

Next, in step 205, the controller 11 outputs first information throughthe main screen, and outputs second information through the sub screen.The controller 11 can output the second information associated with thefirst information of the main screen through the sub screen.

After that, when the flexible display is unbent, the controller 11releases the main screen and the sub screen, and outputs only the firstinformation through the whole screen of the flexible display or outputsan integration of the first information and the second information.

FIGS. 4 through 8 illustrate example user interface screens of aflexible touch screen according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when a flexible touch screen displaying icons isbent, the controller 11 outputs the icons to a sub screen 401 andoutputs contents void of the icons to a main screen.

Referring to FIG. 5, when a flexible touch screen displaying the outputof a corresponding program as a background is bent, the controller 11loads information associated with the program operating as thebackground from the storage unit 14 and, through a sub screen 501,outputs the loaded information.

Referring to FIG. 6, when a flexible touch screen displaying a contentspage is bent, the controller 11 outputs the contents page to a mainscreen and, through a sub screen 601, outputs a menu for a user toscroll the contents page.

Referring to FIG. 7, when a flexible touch screen displaying a contentspage is bent, the controller 11 outputs the contents page to a mainscreen and, through a sub screen 701, outputs a menu for a user to turnthe contents page to a previous page or a next page.

Referring to FIG. 8, when a flexible touch screen displaying a contentspage is bent, the controller 11 outputs the contents page to a mainscreen and, through a sub screen 801, outputs a menu for a user to zoomin or out the contents page.

Further, when the controller 11 confirms control information, which isdesignated to a sub screen, from the storage unit 14, the controller 11can control a main screen according to the control information, andoutput first information through the main screen. For instance, when thecontrol information is a control of scrolling the contents of the mainscreen, the controller 11 scrolls the contents of the main screen andoutputs first information. Also, when the control information is acontrol of turning a displayed page of the main screen, the controller11 turns the displayed page of the main screen to a previous or nextpage. Further, when the control information is a control of zooming inor out the contents of the main screen, the controller 11 zooms in orout and outputs the contents of the main screen.

As described above, certain embodiments of the present invention has anadvantage of, when a flexible display is bent, changing the contents ofa screen, thus leading to a user's satisfaction at a user interfaceside.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present inventionaccording to the claims and description in the specification can berealized in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardwareand software.

Any such software may be stored in a computer readable storage medium.The computer readable storage medium stores one or more programs(software modules), the one or more programs comprising instructions,which when executed by one or more processors in an electronic device,cause the electronic device to perform a method of the presentinvention.

Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatilestorage such as, for example, a storage device like a ROM, whethererasable or rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, forexample, RAM, memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on anoptically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a CD,DVD, magnetic disk or magnetic tape or the like. It will be appreciatedthat the storage devices and storage media are embodiments ofmachine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a program orprograms comprising instructions that, when executed, implementembodiments of the present invention.

Accordingly, embodiments provide a program comprising code forimplementing apparatus or a method as claimed in any one of the claimsof this specification and a machine-readable storage storing such aprogram

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a flexible display in aportable terminal, the method comprising: displaying a screen in a viewarea on a surface of the flexible display; identifying that the flexibledisplay is bent; dividing the view area into a main screen area and asub screen area on a basis of a bent region, wherein the sub screen areaincludes the bent region; and outputting first information in the mainscreen area and second information in the sub screen area on the surfaceof the flexible display, wherein the first information is related to thesecond information.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: whenthe flexible display is unbent, releasing the main screen area and thesub screen area and, through a whole screen of the flexible display,outputting only the first information or outputting an integration ofthe first information and the second information.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: when control information is designated to the subscreen area, controlling the main screen area according to the controlinformation, and outputting the first information in the main screenarea.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control informationcomprises any one of information associated with control of scrollingdisplayed contents of the main screen area to a corresponding direction,information associated with control of zooming in or out displayedcontents of the main screen area, and information associated withcontrol of turning displayed contents of the main screen area toprevious displayed contents or next displayed contents.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein dividing the view area into the main screen area andthe sub screen area on the basis of the bent region comprises:distinguishing a non-bent region and the bent region; and allotting themain screen area to include the non-bent region, and allotting the subscreen area to include the bent region.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: distinguishing a non-bent region and the bentregion; and changing the sub screen area as the bent region changes. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the view area into the mainscreen area and the sub screen area on the basis of the bent regioncomprises: allotting the main screen area to include a preset firstregion; and allotting the sub screen area to include a preset secondregion.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the view area intothe main screen area and the sub screen area on the basis of the bentregion comprises: determining that a whole screen of the flexibledisplay is to include the main screen area; further constructing anoverlaid screen on the main screen area; and determining the overlaidscreen to include the sub screen area.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinoutputting the first information in the main screen area and outputtingthe second information in the sub screen area comprises outputting thesecond information through in the sub screen area when the secondinformation associated with the first information exists.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein outputting the first information in the main screenarea and outputting the second information in the sub screen areacomprises outputting the second information to the sub screen area whena program operated as a background is confirmed and the secondinformation about the program operated as the background exists.
 11. Anapparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal, theapparatus comprising: a flexible display configured to outputinformation and display a screen in a view area on a surface of theflexible display; a storage unit configured to store data about anoperation of the portable terminal; and a controller configured to:identify that the flexible display is bent, divide the view area into amain screen area and a sub screen area on a basis of a bent region,wherein the sub screen area includes the bent region, and output firstinformation in the main screen area and second information in the subscreen area on the surface of the flexible display, wherein the firstinformation is related to the second information.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein, when the flexible display is unbent, the controlleris configured to release the main screen area and the sub screen areaand, through a whole screen of the flexible display, output only thefirst information or output an integration of the first information andthe second information.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, whencontrol information is designated to the sub screen area, the controlleris configured to control the main screen area according to the controlinformation, and output the first information in the main screen area.14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control information comprisesany one of information associated with control of scrolling displayedcontents of the main screen area to a corresponding direction,information associated with control of zooming in or out displayedcontents of the main screen area, and information associated withcontrol of turning displayed contents of the main screen area toprevious displayed contents or next displayed contents.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured todistinguish a non-bent region and the bent region, and allot the mainscreen area as the non-bent region and allot the sub screen area as thebent region.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller isconfigured to distinguish a non-bent region and the bent region andchange the sub screen area as the bent region is changed.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to allot themain screen area as a preset first region, and allot the sub screen areaas a preset second region.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein thecontroller is configured to decide a whole screen of the flexibledisplay as the main screen area, construct an overlaid screen on themain screen area, and determine the overlaid screen to be the sub screenarea.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller isconfigured to output the second information in the sub screen area whenthe second information associated with the first information exits. 20.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured tooutput the second information to the sub screen area when a programoperated as a background is confirmed and the second information aboutthe program operated as the background exits.